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Archive 2016 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet

  
 
Russ Isabella
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


A rare Monday night, 6 pm meet drew 13,162 fans. It's as if the scheduling forced by TV broadcasting is doing its best to test the mettle of Utah's fan base! I'm posting 10 images for C&C. Bars and beam were shot with a 1Dx and 35L; Floor images are with 1Dx and 200 f/1.8. Thanks for looking.
Posted a bunch more images on my blog


1.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM2.JPG


2.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM4.JPG


3.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM8.JPG


4.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM3.JPG


5.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM5.JPG


6.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM9.JPG


7.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM7.JPG


8.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM1.JPG


9.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM6.JPG


10.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM10.JPG


EDIT: Posted a bunch more images on my blog

Edited on Feb 07, 2016 at 01:58 PM · View previous versions



Feb 02, 2016 at 01:31 AM
schlotz
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Even if you hadn't indicated equipment usage, picking out the 200 f/1.8 is a piece of cake. So glad you pressed her back into service Russ. Absolutely love the isolation shots. Early in the season and you're already making it very difficult to single out a winner or two. Ignoring other factors pertinent to the venue at hand, I would select #6. Paying attention to the sport it's either #5 or #8.

Looks like the lighting on the high bars is a bit tricky, regardless of how it fell you nailed the exposure on the face i.e. #1 & 8.

Great work my friend!

Matt



Feb 02, 2016 at 08:32 AM
BillP57
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Sorry I can't help with the C&C as I have not been able to find a single nit to pick. Lovely photos and great timing once again. I hope the young ladies appreciate the skill and artistry it takes to make even a beautiful girl look this good doing a routine.

Bill



Feb 02, 2016 at 09:22 AM
Trevorma
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Russ,

I don't have any criticisms....... but a comment.

From time to time I find myself watching gymnastics on TV and have been to a few live meets to watch family. I find watching the sport makes the athletes look awkward, not graceful at all......However when I look at your pictures I do see the grace in the sport, the athleticism and there is no awkwardness.....

I am not sure what causes this, but your pictures are always top shelf!



Feb 02, 2016 at 09:37 AM
Russ Isabella
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Thanks as always, Matt. I appreciate your support. (Speaking of which, when does soccer start up for you?) You're right about the lighting posing some challenges. Nothing to complain about given there's plenty of it, but I have to remain cognizant of the fact it can be harsh, exposure varies insanely with skin tone, and what's bouncing off the mats is not nearly bright enough to avoid shadows. It's interesting that shooting basketball in this same arena, the light is so much more even with the bounce off the hardwood. Exposure doesn't change much, but white balance goes from K = 5300 for gymnastics to 3900 for hoops. Though I don't understand it completely, this certainly gives an idea of the way the dark blue mats affect the light (and, I think, shadows).

Regarding the 200, man, it's not inaccurate to call this baby an old friend and yeah, she delivers (so I guess that would be a friend with benefits? ). I don't use it all the time because there's risk involved--too easy to cut off important elements of the photo. I wasn't shooting this meet for the university so the risk didn't matter. But the reward...

Here are some examples:


11. Oh. So. Close...but for parts of three toes

http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM12.JPG


12. A bit unorthodox and I'm not sure how this would be received

http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM11.JPG


13. Partial body that works for me

http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM14.JPG


14. Bingo

http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM13.JPG



Feb 02, 2016 at 09:38 AM
Russ Isabella
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Bill: Thank you very much. I appreciate your feedback and your (consistently!) kind words. Actually, I do not know how my photos are viewed by the athletes. That's something I need to find a way to explore because, well, I'd like to know!

Thank you, Trevor. It's complicated. Personally, I believe that more than most other sports, gymnastics contains many, many moments that are invisible to the eye when watching the action (either live or via video). Baseball has things like the bat bending on contact with the (compressing) ball and basketball has things like the ball compressing as it hits the floor, but as far as the athletes are concerned, what you see from still photos isn't very surprising in comparison to what you've seen from the live (or taped) action. With gymnastics, the grace and beauty can be evident at full speed, but not to the extent still photos can capture them. Or even the details, such as hand placement on the beam in #5 above. I have never, ever noticed that before seeing this photo last night and to me it's a thing of beauty. Beyond that, two things matter: timing as it relates to making the images, and having an eye for the aesthetic of the sport during the culling process. On the timing side, you have to have some idea of when the key moments are likely to happen and time the photos to capture them. No substitute here for practice, experience and gear that's up to the task. On the culling side, well, I don't know but I'd like to think this is where I am able to stand with the better gymnastics shooters out there. Getting the shot is one thing. Knowing it's 'the shot' when you see it is another. Both are important. (And all of this is to say nothing about imagining/envisioning the shots you want to make, and then figuring out a way to make them, which is a whole 'nother level...) This is one such (imagined/envisioned) shot for me, though I'm not liking it as much as I'd envisioned.


15.
http://www.russisabellaphotography.com/Gymnastics2016/3UGYM16.JPG



Feb 02, 2016 at 01:02 PM
schlotz
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Hey Russ,

You certainly can make the 200 sing, #14 ...oh yeah baby . Soccer is up and running with the first home game on 4/9. Getting anxious to get started.

Matt



Feb 02, 2016 at 04:22 PM
coreybell
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Another terrific set Russ. As you were saying the moment in gymnastics is very fleeting.
#6 is a testament to this, something you would never notice while watching on tv or even live.
You really have this dialed in and it shows ever time you post.

Side note, have you given the 1DX II much thought? Would two more fps help, I don't really know.



Feb 02, 2016 at 04:46 PM
Russ Isabella
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Good to hear, Matt. Soccer starts up here at the beginning of next month!

Thank you, Corey. I've been thinking way too much about the 1DX II! The extra fps would be beneficial in that the time that elapses between frames would be reduced, just a smidgen but every bit helps. (To me, that between-frame increment is much more important than the number of frames that can be taken per second.) And then, according to the specs and a couple of hands-on reports I've seen, there is better ISO performance across the full range, improved dynamic range, improved AF, better coverage of the frame with the AF points, larger buffer, etc., etc. My 1Dx isn't wanting by any stretch of the imagination, but I've been thinking about replacing my 1DIV for a while now, and the time to make a move might be approaching. It's kind of insane to think of the original 1Dx as a second body!



Feb 02, 2016 at 11:13 PM
msack
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Russ....still doing some great work. I haven't been on here in over a year. Glad you are still posting.


Feb 03, 2016 at 07:43 PM
Paulthelefty
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


That smile in #6 is mesmerizing!

Paul



Feb 03, 2016 at 09:33 PM
gschlact
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Russ,
Stellar as always.
You asked some questions.
My 2 cents:
About color temp between wood floor and dark blue, mats...
The wood floor acts like a huge warming filter and does reflect a lot of contributed light to the final exposure for basketball.

About knowing how many players are looking at you photos...
A couple of ways to do this, both of which involve distributing a unique link to the galley that you share with the players/group. You could take it further if you had access to each players email, or if you required a sign-in to the Gallery (a lot of the 3rd party photography site hosting sites offer this later option).

So, you can use Google Analytics or Statcounter for free. Then in the campaign section of Google Analytics you can track campaign participation, or on Statcounter simply look at at the entry page addresses. Probably other ways to do it too. I would use the Google Analytics generated link for the campaign for both, LR you can manually created the link. If you want an example of a link there are parameters that append to the end of any url address. The browser follows the url and ignores the Paramenters, but the analytics do see them.

By the way, I was actually going to ask what kind of feedback you get from the gymnasts.



Feb 04, 2016 at 12:58 AM
Russ Isabella
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Hey Mike, good to see you back, and thanks.

Paul:

Thanks, Guy, I appreciate the information.




Feb 04, 2016 at 02:10 PM
WarrenL
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Jaw dropping as usual. Would love to attend a university gymnastics meet. All I do is gym meets in regular clubs. No raised podiums or 13000 audience!


Feb 04, 2016 at 08:18 PM
Russ Isabella
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Thanks, Warren. Yeah, you definitely should check one out if you ever get the chance, though the season average of 14,000-plus fans per home meet is unique to Utah. Typically, 5,000 would be considered a very good crowd for an NCAA gymnastics meet.


Feb 05, 2016 at 03:17 PM
kateman
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Russ,
i have said before, or if i have not said/written this before...you are an artist.
your sense of timing is simply amazing.
am pretty sure that most of the shooters that i know could not have posed #6, much less captured it
on the fly.
amazing images
thanks for sharing
b



Feb 07, 2016 at 08:44 AM
Vancouver47
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Russ.

Another wonderful series. I'm always impressed with your white balance in these series. I assume you custom white balance. What do you use to set it?


I have been using an ExpoDisk outdoors with good results, but today I'm going indoors for a fencing competition with mixed northern lighting and indoor lights probably about 5000k.

Edited on Feb 13, 2016 at 01:30 PM · View previous versions



Feb 13, 2016 at 12:55 PM
Russ Isabella
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Bret: I very much appreciate your kind and complimentary words.


Thanks, Blake. It's not a custom WB but I do use a specific Kelvin setting. The lights in this arena were replaced/upgraded last year. The new lights do not cycle and are very pure and consistent in their color temperature. There are minor variations around the arena, and as affected by skin tone, but on the whole, it's very workable.



Feb 13, 2016 at 01:28 PM
Vancouver47
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Russ, Thanks for the comments.

I have been using an ExpoDisk outdoors with good results, but today I'm going indoors for a fencing competition with mixed northern lighting and indoor lights probably about 5000k.

At least with fencing the facial skin tones aren't an issue



Feb 13, 2016 at 01:34 PM
rassilon
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Utah Gymnastics: Third Home Meet


Very nice job.


Feb 23, 2016 at 11:15 AM





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